What 'Water-Related' Book Have You Read Most Recently?

[imagine2frolic]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

As far as Heyerdahl is concerned:

Green Was the Earth on the Seventh Day

I think the afterword to this book is among the top-ten of my reading ever - marine or not.

b.

I just reread three of his books this past 2 weeks. After setting the last book down I was wishing he had written something like this. What a life!....thanks....i2f

[scook1]

I just read a few good ones:
Herb Payson's "Advice to the Sealorn"
Robin Knox Johnston's "A World of my Own"
The Knox book was a difficult read at times. I have loved Paysons book.
"Bumfuzzle: Just out looking for pirates" is my next read
Spencer

[Tempest245]

Originally Posted by S/V Antares

"Cod", by Mark Kurlansky. Great read. So was his book "Salt". Easily the two best nonfiction books I have read in a very long time.

Two excellent books! have read salt, cod is on the shelf..

Reading... Adrift..by Steven Callahan now...it's been around awhile but I'm just getting to it.

Also picked up, Maritime Annapolis, by Rosemary F. Williams at the boat show this year, some interesting history of the town.

[rustypirate]

I recently finished Ice Bird by David Lewis.

It is an interesting account of navigation in and around the Antarctic.
What I found most striking was the difference in experience he had between the first and second legs of his journey, being much better prepared on the second half.

[speedoo]

Currently reading Herb Payson's "Blown Away". He's a very good writer and has lots of fascinating stories to tell, in highy amusing fashion.

I wish I had read this 20 years ago, when I still would have had time to cruise the South Pacific.

[nautical62]

I just finished reading "In the Heart of the Sea" for the third time and am sure I will read it again.

Other's I've liked:

Maiden Voyage
Adrift
Cod
Hudson Bay Company Adventures - easy read about the fur trade.
Endurance
Sailing Promise - just for the human psychology of it.
Kon Tiki (far from recent read)

If one includes frozen water:

Into Thin Air
Savage Arena (Joe Tasker)
Everest, The West Ridge
The White Spider (First climbs on Eiger, north face)

I can't point to a specific book, but have really loved reading about:

-Henry Hudson
-The Wilks Expedition
-The story of the Aurora - the second and often forgotten boat on famous Shackelton expedtion. (My boat is named in honor of them.)
-Nansen's expedition
-R. Amundson - NW passage and south pole - now that's impressive!
-MacKenzie's expedition to the west coast (Canada) a decade before the Lewis and Clark expedition.
-The Jeanette - stuck in the ice north of Siberia
-The Franklin Expedition
-Drake vs the Spanish Armada - Early lessons in the effects of weather and ocean currents.
-Cook's three famous expeditions.
-Hans Lindeman's voyage across the Atlantic in a sea kayak (with sail)
-Those crazy ocean rowing society folks. Anyone who races across the Atlantic in a rowing craft has my respect.

[FSMike]

I would dearly like to find a copy of a book I read many moons ago. Of course, since I have CRS I don't know the title or the author. It was printed privately, and involved an America's Cup contender from the eastern shore of the Chesapeake, crewed by a bunch of fishermen. A typical highlight involved a drunken crewman trying to get back to the boat after his mates had already taken the dinghy. So he stole a policeman's horse and swam it out. Like any good waterman, drunk or not, he knew to secure his "dinghy" to the mother ship before going below and passing out.
He was awakened in the morning by a very irate horse kicking the side of the boat.
Quite a memorable book. Anybody know where to find one?
Thanks

[GeoPowers]

I just got done reading "Post-Captain" by Patrick O'Brian. I'm hooked on the series. The first book you've heard of- "Master and Commander". The first book was a lot different than the movie, which apparently was a combination of a bunch of books in the series. The series follows Jack Audbrey and Dr Steven Maturin and their adventures. Post-Captian had a little too much "land-drama" for me, but I'm still gonna pick up the next one...they're addicting!

[oldsalt_1942]

I've read a lot of the books mentioned here, but there's one volume that will give you a year's worth of reading and teach you a lot to boot...The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Nautical lore, descriptions of famous battles, biographies and much, much more.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by GeoPowers

I just got done reading "Post-Captain" by Patrick O'Brian. I'm hooked on the series. The first book you've heard of- "Master and Commander". The first book was a lot different than the movie, which apparently was a combination of a bunch of books in the series. The series follows Jack Audbrey and Dr Steven Maturin and their adventures. Post-Captian had a little too much "land-drama" for me, but I'm still gonna pick up the next one...they're addicting!

Yea.

But I found they were like copies of the Hornblower series only not as good.

Sir Horatio rules!

[Bash]

Just finished rereading Beebe's Zaca Venture.

[GeoPowers]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Yea.

But I found they were like copies of the Hornblower series only not as good.

Sir Horatio rules!

I haven't read those...I'll have to check them out!

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by GeoPowers

I haven't read those...I'll have to check them out!

Amazon.com: hornblower: Books

You might as well buy the whole series at one time. You will at the end anyway.

[Fiveslide]

Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before

Tony Horwitz and his hilarious Australian friend hop around the world, visiting places Cook "discovered" and interviewing people that are still affected by events that happened over a couple hundred years ago.

I don't agree with some of the things Cook did, but you got to respect the man that discovered and mapped more coastline than anyone up until satellite photos became available. He was the first to cross the southern 71st parallel. Some of his chart work was used up into the 1990s.

And if you ever picked up VD in Tahiti... you have Cook to thank for that as well.

I loved this book, I've read it several times, it has some good laughs.

[Chief Engineer]

and post the name

Originally Posted by FSMike

I would dearly like to find a copy of a book I read many moons ago. Of course, since I have CRS I don't know the title or the author. It was printed privately, and involved an America's Cup contender from the eastern shore of the Chesapeake, crewed by a bunch of fishermen. A typical highlight involved a drunken crewman trying to get back to the boat after his mates had already taken the dinghy. So he stole a policeman's horse and swam it out. Like any good waterman, drunk or not, he knew to secure his "dinghy" to the mother ship before going below and passing out.
He was awakened in the morning by a very irate horse kicking the side of the boat.
Quite a memorable book. Anybody know where to find one?
Thanks

Found it......Muskrat by Douglas Hanks